February 25, 2013

Wow. I'm just seeing this now. How awkward. I was embarrassed to watch the clip. Jack Nicholson — the greatest actor of the modern era (or something) — comes out as if he's going to announce the award, observes that it's traditionally one presenter who does the announcement, then throws it to a White House feed where it's Michelle Obama, dressed up in her ball gown, in the company of White House toadies in tuxes. And then "Lincoln" doesn't even win, so we don't get the stunning climax of all of history that was what the producers may have thought they were setting up.

Abysmal.

IN THE COMMENTS: Drago said: "Those aren't 'toadies.' Those are the military aides assigned to the President. They have no choice but to be there when 'directed.' And those aren't 'tuxes,' those are military dress uniforms." I stand corrected. I'm sorry. I was going to watch the video again to check that detail but there was no scroll bar on the video and I could not put up with watching it in real time. Why were military personnel used as props for an entertainment industry awards show?

No doubt, a big wet kiss for Hollywood for its support. How is it inappropriate?

Well maybe not inappropriate but it certainly seems like this administration is more concerned with being on the cutting edge of pop culture than with governance. Considering the administration is hell bent on destructive spending, it certainly is a reasonable assumption.

AA: "...then throws it to a White House feed where it's Michelle Obama, dressed up in her ball gown, in the company of White House toadies in tuxes."

Those aren't "toadies".

Those are the military aides assigned to the President.

They have no choice but to be there when "directed".

And those aren't "tuxes", those are military dress uniforms.

The continued building of the obama cult of personality continues unabated.

As for "visual" messaging, having military members standing behind michelle is a way to plant in the publics eye the idea that the obamas really care about the military as obama prepares to dramatically reduce our military force structure in order to transfer the "savings" to his entitlement payoff programs.

Which is also why it's important for obama to have Hagel take the SecDef position. You want a Republican in place at Defense when you start the transfer of resources.

If she reached just ONE kid out there in a food desert, beset by gun violence, left out of healthcare, raised by a single mom (who can be perfected into a Julia type figure), then it will have been worth it.

The Grammys are just a vehicle for social change, WE are that change as the arc of history has now been bent a little more towards justice.

Ron and Nancy Reagan were part of the movie industry. This? This is Michelle horning in on the Hollywood crowd.

That's the way I felt, anyway. Maybe if Laura Bush had done it, I wouldn't have been so sour about it because I like Laura. I know for sure I would have been able to tell you what Laura had said because I would have listened. Michelle's speech was so much blah blah blah. Nice dress, though.

Not the least bit unexpected. Not that you'll ever really know how it came about but obviously well planned. Is it so hard to have someone say-don't! Four hours into a big circle jerk and this awkward moment, no doubt AF-1 was used to transport the envelope.

I wouldn't know one way or another if Reagan appeared at the Oscars but I see some Democrat folks out there claiming he appeared at the 1981 awards. But those were held on March 31, 1981, and Reagan was shot the day before, so maybe it was a pre-recorded thing?

I also see Democrats saying Laura Bush appeared at the 2002 Oscars. I have no recollection but Wikipedia says:

"Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, who would later win Best Documentary at the 76th Academy Awards, made a short film that was shown during the ceremony. The film shows almost 100 people discussing movies. Those featured range from Laura Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev to Iggy Pop and Lou Reed to Kenneth Arrow (1972 Nobel Laureate in Economics) to Morris' son Hamilton."

That's quite different from the First Lady intruding right when everyone's waiting for the Best Picture award.

Wait... Why are we freaking out about this? Nixon went on Laugh-In. Clinton talked about his boxers or briefs or commando or whatever and schtooped a semi-hottie in the Oral Office... Hell, I'm more embarrassed that anyone cares at all about what happens at the Oscars!

I'm glad Lincoln didn't win. I haven't seen the movie but I've read that they have the characters using the f word and other language not commonly used by the statesmen of that era. In the movies today, I hear the f word more than I hear it in everyday life.

Argo is revisionist history for our first peanut President. And the revision we're supposed to take away is that he used words to solve the hostage crisis with Iran and his indoor voice. The eight Delta Force soldier killed in Operation Peanut (a.k.a. The Debacle in the Desert)--every move personally planned by Jimmy down to the number of 'copters he was told was unworkable, according to insiders-- were unavailable for comment.

Why are people comparing Michelle Obama taking over the presentation of Best Picture with Laura Bush being included in this:

"Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, who would later win Best Documentary at the 76th Academy Awards, made a short film that was shown during the ceremony. The film shows almost 100 people discussing movies. Those featured range from Laura Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev to Iggy Pop and Lou Reed to Kenneth Arrow (1972 Nobel Laureate in Economics) to Morris' son Hamilton."

Interesting that people think a taped appearance is the same as presenting an award in full ball drag.

Interesting that people think it's that different.

I do love this. You guys on the partisan Right got you knickers in a wad over this almost as a reflex, without even thinking to consider you'd end up looking like fools because some of your guys had in the past done something similar.

You've all become so reactionary to ANYTHING this President, his administration, or anyone associated with it, that anything they do, you react as a reflex action - you automatically leap before you look. The whole "Friends Of Hamas" fiasco at the Hagel confirmation hearings - bringing that up without even considering to get confirmation that there is any validity at all to that very serious type of accusation - made your side look absolutely ridiculous and the backlash from that stupidness probably ended up swaying the few votes Hagel needed to get confirmed.

My first reaction is who cares? She did a nice job and what difference does it make.

However, I agree that the capacity of her and her husband to seek out the limelight and their sense/ease of entitlement is pretty extraordinary. She probably more than him. But I did see her dancing, and it looks like she has good rythym [sp?].

Yes Jay, lefties have a long tradition of demeaning use of those in the military they so despise.

Remember Hillery in the WH using military aids as waiters to serve canapes at social functions? Or of Big Sis (iirc) at a WH function asking a General in full dress uniform to get her a cocktail thinking he was a waiter? Michelle's use of military aids last night is all of a piece--typical...of lefties, that is..

You've all become so reactionary to ANYTHING this President, his administration, or anyone associated with it, that anything they do, you react as a reflex action - you automatically leap before you look. The whole "Friends Of Hamas" fiasco at the Hagel confirmation hearings - bringing that up without even considering to get confirmation that there is any validity at all to that very serious type of accusation - made your side look absolutely ridiculous and the backlash from that stupidness probably ended up swaying the few votes Hagel needed to get confirmed.

This post is a profile of stupidity and ignorance.

People like you do this sort of thing because you can't defend the indefensible.

sonicfrog: "I do love this. You guys on the partisan Right got you knickers in a wad over this almost as a reflex, without even thinking to consider you'd end up looking like fools because some of your guys had in the past done something similar."

What bothered me the most was the placement of the White House assigned military members being positioned behind the first lady as you presented an award at the oscars.

Care to explain that?

Go ahead, give it a try. And then give us an equivalent action by a Republican Presidential spouse in a completely non-military related venue.

To be specific those uniform as called "Mess Dress" or "Evening Dress" (USMC) and yes, they are the military equivalent of a formal coat & tails for evening wear at formal, usually celebratory, occasions. Note that the medals, when worn, are of the half size type, not full sized nor ribbon symbols.

IIRC the "mess dress" uniform is left over from the days of Royal Household uniforms. How appropriate here, eh?

virgil xenophon said... Yes Jay, lefties have a long tradition of demeaning use of those in the military they so despise.

The left views the military as out air raiding villiages and killing civilians, when they should be flying Pelosi across the country and standing behind the hideous pig of a first lady while she babbles on about an Academy Award.

I think what was truly inappropriate was that she appeared before that assemblage and did not thank them for all their financial and artistic support of her husband's Presidency. Very ungrateful......Do you think Eisenhower gave a shit about who won the Best Picture Award? By appearing on such a show, the FLOTUS gives the subliminal message that she's just another celebrity. The President and his wife should exist on a different plane than those pretty people.

Having something to say (pre-taped) is a little different than being foisted upon everyone as if you too are a hollywood celebrity.

They injected Michelle as if she's the biggest star of all! Bigger than Jack! Come worship. Of course they did. The Obama's are the ultimate sacred golden cows for these wealthy bubble dwelling self-congratulatory ivory tower tools.

Some commenter over on Weasel Zippers has pointed out that at least some of the folks in uniform here are the same as those behind the President during his sequester speech. I guess it is all part of their employment, eh? Also, another commenter on Twitchy noted that none of the props have any active duty patches.

sonicfrog said... The whole "Friends Of Hamas" fiasco at the Hagel confirmation hearings - bringing that up without even considering to get confirmation that there is any validity at all to that very serious type of accusation - made your side look absolutely ridiculous and the backlash from that stupidness probably ended up swaying the few votes Hagel needed to get confirmed.

Uh, on February 7, 2013 Breitbart News’ story on “Friends of Hamas” was written.

I do love this. You guys on the partisan Right got you knickers in a wad over this almost as a reflex, without even thinking to consider you'd end up looking like fools because some of your guys had in the past done something similar."

I don't think Reagan was handing out awards. Then again, he was an actor so his taped introduction would have held more relevance to the event than Michele's star wannabe appearance ever would.

Perhaps criticism of her is purely based on the fact that a lot of people are sick of looking at her.

I have a hard time getting upset over this, since the long decline began many decades ago with the advent of television and the rise of the airhead pretty boy of Camelot.

With his Tonight Show appearances and so forth, Obama has merely accelerated the decline. On the one hand, we have conspicuous luxury and pomp attendant to our royal president. On the other, he wants to convince us he's a regular Joe who uses the word "folks" and wears jeans and enjoys movies.

There was once a time when the president was merely an esteemed statesman who presided over the administration of the national government and sought to faithfully execute the laws. His task was transactional in nature, and he executed his duties with humility. The American people were largely spared having to hear his voice or see his mug in the paper or on television.

Times change. Now we have a cool brother who dances with Ellen. Before that we had a teetotaler who many of us would have nevertheless liked to have a beer with. Before that we had a smooth sax player who scored with girls. And so on.

PS: I'm not "freaking out" or even "getting my pantloons in a wad"...I just don't give a shit, like other momentous nonsense brought up from time to time. If anything I'm stunned, or embarrassed given the world can see it, at the total lack of shame in this white House. Gotta give them credit...they are a HOOT! :)

Hollywood is trying to save the movie industry tax breaks! Or else the government is going to take over Hollywood after it finishes with health care. I agree that it was totally inappropriate and if I had know she was going to be a presenter I would not have watched the show.

Hollywood is trying to save the movie industry tax breaks! Or else the government is going to take over Hollywood after it finishes with health care. I agree that it was totally inappropriate and if I had know she was going to be a presenter I would not have watched the show.

I disagree with everyone here in comments. It was very appropriate for this White House to do this. The Obama's are acting the part of President and First Lady. It's only right that they should celebrate and be celbrated by thier peers in the industry. I say BRAVISSIMO!

@garage: Given that teaching high school cannot be done double-blind, and that the populations are not identical, the difference between 90% below proficient and 85% below proficient is too small to draw meaningful conclusions.

Nonetheless, you confidently proclaimed voucher schools a failure, explicitly with the public schools that performed essentially identically.

First Lady's should not make a presentation appearance at the Academy Awards because

_____________________________?

They are most likely irrelevant to the industry?

I she going to give out Daytime Emmys too? Why discriminate? Why not an American Music Awards appearance? Is there a Metal Shop Teacher of the Year Award that could use her prestige?

I have no hate for her or Hollywood in particular, but its an anomaly that makes little sense.

I think the previous years winner should present the award.

My strange theory is that there was outside shot for Zero Dark Thirty to win, and that if so, she was there from the White House with military personnel to drum up some of that killing Bin Laden magic.

@garage:Hard data isn't the same thing a popular polling which has a margin of error, you stupid, stupid motherfucker.

One of the things I got my Ph. D. for was developing a way to measure tiny thicknesses using (to oversimplify) a laser through a microscope. I was getting distances to the micron. The hardest of hard data. But that 1-2 micron uncertainty meant that some of the numbers I was getting were uncertain by considerably more than that. And so sometimes I couldn't tell the difference between refractive indices, even though the numbers were different the uncertainty was about the same size.

There's a lot to know about how to draw conclusions from data. Quite aside from whether you'd know hard data if it bit you in the ass, to the extent that you know of these techniques you are a liar; to the extent that you don't, you're unqualified to opine.

Ignorant or lying, your choice. I respect your intelligence enough to think you must be lying. You certainly seem to grok the distinctions when you think it suits your argument.

One and the same thing, garage. The populations tested are not identical. They do not constitute random samples of the same population. Variables common to both may be ultimately responsible. etc, etc.

Garage is a product of and a proponent of our shitty public school system. The system is free thus providing the parents with the opportunity to acquire boats and other toys for their own amusement instead of using the funds to privately,and excellently, educate their children. Urgent, therefore, to support and extol our public schools which by every measure are shitty.

I love these wingers at Althouse who are determined to prove YOU LIED! YOU'RE A LIAR! It's not enought that they just disagree with you, you have to be a liar. I get the same thing in the political threads. It's always the same knuckleheads, too.

The smarter wingers may not be able to stand your politics and are certain you're wrong but at least they have more class than to call you a liar.

Those military personnel were not ordered to be there. They were just the people who happened to be hanging out with Michelle Obama at the time when she had to step away to do the announcement. Because Michelle and Barack Obama hang out a social occaisions with the rank and file military people all the time, don'tcha know...

Hah! I'm an inner city public school teacher and I sent my daughter to Catholic schools for 12 years. To do otherwise would have been parental mal-practice. At least in the inner city of the city where I live. Nuns with sticks and the aility of some to out pitch professional baseballers. Not for nothing can they curve erasers to hit you with them! Public chools worked better when we beat them for minor rules infractions.

Gabe here is a quote from the Stanford Study on charter schools since you seemed challenged to find the link" On average, charter schools are not performing as well as their traditional public-school peers, according to a new study that is being called the first national assessment of these school-choice options. The study, conducted by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University, compared the reading and math state achievement test scores of students in charter schools in 15 states and the District of Columbia—amounting to 70 percent of U.S. charter school students—to those of their virtual "twins" in regular schools who shared with them certain characteristics. The research found that 37 percent of charter schools posted math gains that were significantly below what students would have seen if they had enrolled in local traditional public schools. And 46 percent of charter schools posted math gains that were statistically indistinguishable from the average growth among their traditional public-school companions. That means that only 17 percent of charter schools have growth in math scores that exceeds that of their traditional public-school equivalents by a significant amount.

Glenn Reynolds comments on his blog:And isn’t it interesting that Obama, who let people die in an Islamist takeover in Benghazi, had his wife present an award for a movie about rescuing people from an Islamist takeover in Iran."

In what way was it inappropriate? The Obamas have completed off the merger of Hollywood with the Democratic party. I'm surprised Ms. Obama didn't appear in person with President Obama being piped in on video from the White House ala 1984.

What better for the reality-based community than to have it's movie icons and political icons together in one program, celebrating their domination of the masses through fiction? Mutual adoration at it's best.

This is our land. A land of peace and of plenty. A land of harmony and hope. This is our land. Obamania. These are our people. The workers, the strivers, the builders. These are our people. The builders of our world, struggling, fighting, bleeding, dying. On the streets of our cities and on the far-flung battlefields. Fighting against the mutilation of our hopes and dreams. Who are they?

@rv: The Stanford study found that CMO schools, on the average, perform about the same as the public schools. They note that the quality of CMO schools is variable and that it is difficult to replicate one school's performance at another school.

Now the snippet you quote is that replicated in the popular media, but the executive summary section which includes that statement puts it differently: "Two thirds of CMOs start new schools that are of the same or slightly better quality as the existing portfolio." But overall they are not significantly different, as the executive summary also acknowledges: "CMOs on average are not dramatically better than non-CMO schools in terms of their contributions to student learning. The difference in learning compared to the Traditional Public school alternatives for CMOs is -.005 standard deviations in Math and .005 in reading; both these values are statistically significant, but obviously not materially different from the comparison."

Now, if you care to argue that the study shows charter schools are no better than public schools, I agree that this is good evidence of that.

If you choose, however, to argue that it proves charter schools are "failures" compared to public schools, you'd be lying, like garage did.

If she gave out the award for Best Actress because she wants to demonstrate positive role models for women like Jennifer Lawrence or whatever? Fine.

Here's what I think EMD: she did it because Hollywood wanted it and it was a payback from the Obama's. This stuff happens all the time in other industries and with other lobbyists and contributors I presume. Most industries don't have the corner on prime time network broadcasts however.

Payback from the Obamas, and I don't see what's especially inappropriate about it. It's not like Jack Nicholson is getting a plum job at the EOC.

There was zero reason for someone with zero professional ties to Hollywood to present the Best Picture award. I looked this up, and the last time that happened was in 1938 with Jack Roosevelt.

And at least he had some film experience, having had a failed movie production at one time. The Obama's, though: Zero.

Let me make clear, however, that my objection is about tradition, not politics. If this were Laura Bush, it would be equally inappropriate (the only difference being that Hollywood would never dream of inviting a Bush to their events). There is a legitimately apolitical objection to Mrs. Obama announcing that winner.

Let me make clear, however, that my objection is about tradition, not politics.

Fair enough, but whose traditions? Hollywood's? Or the White House traditions?

If it's Hollywood's traditions you care about, then you are probably the only person who does. If it's the White House traditions that make you anxious, get over it. That floodgate was opened when Nixon went on Laugh In.

To be specific those uniform as called "Mess Dress" or "Evening Dress" (USMC) and yes, they are the military equivalent of a formal coat & tails for evening wear at formal, usually celebratory, occasions. Note that the medals, when worn, are of the half size type, not full sized nor ribbon symbols.

Just for clarity's sake, though ~ those were ALL US Army dress uniforms behind her during the whole ghastly thing.